Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to a system for dispensing a product from a container. This invention is more particularly related to a system incorporating a valve system which is especially suitable for use with a container from which a substance can be discharged from the container through the valve system.
A variety of packages, including dispensing packages or containers, have been developed for dispensing beverages, fluent food products, personal care products such as shampoo, lotion, etc., as well as other materials. Such containers typically have an open upper end on which is mounted a dispensing closure.
One type of dispensing closure for these kinds of containers has a flexible, pressure-openable, self-sealing, slit-type dispensing valve mounted in the closure over the container opening. The term xe2x80x9cpressure-openablexe2x80x99 refers to a valve which opens when a sufficient pressure differential is applied across the valve (e.g., as by increasing the pressure on one side and/or decreasing the pressure on the side). When the container is squeezed, the valve slits open, and the fluid contents of the container are discharged through the open slits of the valve. The valve automatically closes to shut off fluid flow therethrough upon removal of the increased pressurexe2x80x94even if the container is inverted so that the closed valve is subjected to the weight of the contents within the container.
Designs of closures using such valves are illustrated in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,271,531 and 5,033,655. Typically, the closure includes a body mounted on the container to hold the valve over the container opening. A lid can be provided for engaging the closure body to cover the valve during shipping and when the container is otherwise not in use. See, for example, FIGS. 31-34 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,531. Such a lid can be designed to prevent leakage from the valve under certain conditions. The lid can also keep dust and dirt from the valve and/or can protect the valve from damage.
The inventors of the present invention have determined that it would be advantageous to provide a new type of valve system or dispensing structure that can provide certain operational advantages. It would be particularly beneficial to provide such a new type of valve system or dispensing structure with the capability for being opened by the user without necessarily requiring the user to squeeze or pressurize the container.
It would also be desirable to provide such an improved system with the capability for being opened merely by the user pulling on the structure with the lips or teeth of the user. This would permit, for example, the user to hold the package or container in one hand without requiring the user to manipulate the dispensing structure or valve system with the other hand in order to open and close it.
Such an improved valve system could also have the capability for allowing the user to apply a continuous force to hold the valve system partially open as well as for allowing the valve system to be maintained in a full open configuration without requiring the user to continuously hold it open or continuously maintain a dispensing pressure in the container. The dispensing system should preferably also be readily closed by application of a relatively briefly applied, low force.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved dispensing valve system that could dispense product at a relatively high flow rate compared to conventional closures of similar size.
It would also be beneficial if such an improved dispensing valve system could optionally accommodate the employment of an ancillary lid or frangible, tamper-evident cover or tear band.
Further, it would be beneficial if such an improved dispensing valve system could optionally accommodate the addition or inclusion of another (i.e., second) valving structure in the form of a pressure-openable, flexible, slit valve.
An improved dispensing valve system should also accommodate designs which permit incorporation of the system as a unitary part, or extension, of the container as well as designs that separately mount the dispensing system on the container in a removable or non-removable manner.
It would also be beneficial if such an improved dispensing valve system could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved dispensing valve system could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high-quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate.
Preferably, the improved dispensing valve system should also accommodate high-speed manufacturing techniques that produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing valve system which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a dispensing valve system is provided for discharging fluent contents from the interior of a container. The valve system includes a wall portion that can be incorporated on the container. The wall portion includes an inlet side and an outlet side. There is at least one aperture extending between the inlet and the outlet sides. A valve seat is located on the outlet side of the wall portion.
The valve system further includes a valve member. The valve member includes (1) a mounting portion for being fixed relative to the container, (2) a spout that defines a dispensing passage terminating in a dispensing orifice, and (3) a resiliently deformable portion extending between the mounting portion of the valve member and the spout to accommodate movement of the valve member from a self-maintained closed position to at least a partially open position. For example, in one form of the invention, the valve system may be temporarily held in a partially open, or full open, configuration when the valve member is subjected to a continuously applied force of sufficient magnitudexe2x80x94typically by the user pulling outwardly on the valve member (and/or by the user squeezing the container (to which the valve system is attached) with enough force to create an internal pressure sufficient to open the valve system). In another form of the invention, the valve system is designed so that when it is moved to a full open configuration, it will remain open even after the user lets go of the valve system and/or reduces the container internal pressure.
In the preferred form of the invention, the resiliently deformable portion is a toggle portion extending between the mounting portion and the spout. The toggle portion provides the further advantageous capability or feature of the valve member in either the self-maintained closed position or a self-maintained open position, namely, the user does not have to apply a continuous force to keep the system closed or open.
Finally, the valve member includes at least one seal surface recessed inwardly from the spout dispensing orifice for sealingly engaging the wall portion valve seat when the valve member is in the closed position so as to prevent flow from the wall portion aperture through the spout dispensing passage.
In one preferred form of the invention, the valve system is part of a closure assembly or unitary closure structure. The closure assembly is adapted for mounting to a container which has an opening to the container interior. The closure assembly has a housing or body for (a) retaining the valve system therein, and (b) being mounted on the container at the container opening so as to position the valve system over the container opening.
In another preferred form of the invention, the valve system includes a valve member which is a unitary part of a molded closure body extending from a container. The closure body may be a unitary part of the container or may be a separate component adapted to be permanently or releasably attached to the container. Where the valve member is a unitary molded portion of the closure body, such a valve member can be characterized as including a mounting portion for being fixed relative to the container wherein the mounting portion is a portion of the closure body. The valve member of such a unitary closure body also includes a spout that defines a dispensing passage terminating in a dispensing orifice. The valve member of such a unitary closure body also includes a resiliently deformable portion extending between the mounting portion and the spout for holding the valve member in a self-maintained closed position and accommodating movement to an open position. The valve member also has at least one seal surface recessed inwardly from the spout dispensing orifice for sealingly engaging a wall portion that can be incorporated on a container or in the closure body. In the preferred embodiments, the wall portion is provided either as a separate component mounted in the closure body or as a unitary molded portion of the closure body. The wall portion includes (1) an inlet side and an outlet side, (2) at least one aperture extending between the inlet and outlet sides, and (3) a valve seat on the outlet side. The seal surface on the valve member is adapted to sealingly engage the wall portion valve seat when the valve member is in the closed position to prevent flow from the wall portion aperture through the spout dispensing passage.
Optionally, a removable lid may be frangibly connected over the valve system.
Further, an optional, flexible, pressure-openable slit valve may be disposed in, or molded as a unitary part of, the spout across the dispensing passage.
The valve system of the present invention readily accommodates movement between open and closed positions. Such movement may be effected by the user grasping the spout between a thumb and index finger, and then pulling the spout outwardly. Alternatively, the user may grasp the spout between the user""s teeth or lips, and then pull the spout outwardly to the open configuration. In some embodiments, where the toggle force to open the valve is not great, the user could also pressurize the system, as by squeezing a flexible container on which the valve system is mounted, so as to force the valve member to a partially open, or full open, configuration.
When the valve system is in the self-maintained full open configuration with the spout outwardly disposed, the valve member may be readily toggled back into the closed configuration by briefly applying a relatively small force to the spout. The force may be applied substantially inwardly along a line of action parallel to the length of the spout, or the force may be applied obliquely to the spout. The application of such a force to the spout causes the resiliently deformable toggle portion to snap back into the self-maintained closed position to hold the valve system closed.
In an alternate embodiment, a travel stop is incorporated in the system to prevent the valve member from moving all the way to the self-maintained, fully open position. The user must maintain a continuous outward force on the valve member to hold it in a deformed, partially open position to prevent it from closing. Such a mode of operation could be effected even without the employment of a travel stop in the system.
The valve system of the present invention need not necessarily be operated to dispense product through the toggled, self-maintained, full open configuration. In some instances it may be sufficient, and desirable, to merely partially open the valve system to dispense a small quantity of product. To this end, the user can push or pull the valve member spout sideways to a tilted configuration or straight out just a small amountxe2x80x94but not to a toggled, self-maintained, full open configurationxe2x80x94to cause the valve member to move away from at least a portion of the valve seat. Under such a mode of operation, the user must maintain a force on the spout continuously to hold the valve in the tilted configuration (or pulled straight out a small amount) so that at least a partial flow path is created under an unseated portion of the valve member. As soon as the user releases the force on the spout, the valve member assumes its normal, generally vertical, closed configuration so as to prevent further flow. Indeed, in some applications where it is desired to operate a valve system with a continuous biasing force on the valve member to maintain an open flow path, it would not be necessary that the valve member have a full opening toggle action providing a self-maintained open position. The valve member need only provide a self-maintained closed position which can accommodate opening under the influence of a continuously applied force to hold the valve member in a partially open configuration. This can simplify the structure of the valve member since the need to have a bi-stable, toggle action mode of operation is not required.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawing.